Gulliver’s Travels, written in 1726 by Jonathan Swift, is a satire that explores the theme of human nature framed by a fictional traveler’s account (this being very popular genre at the time). It follows a protagonist, Lemuel Gulliver, who is the narrator;
he explains a bit about his life as a preamble and informs readers that he is a married surgeon from Nottinghamshire, England who loves traveling. As it turns out, “He works as a surgeon on ships and ends up becoming a ship captain
Through many unfortunate events during his voyage at sea, Gulliver becomes stranded in foreign lands and absurd situations, whether it’s getting captured by the miniature Lilliputians or becoming friends with talking horses,
the Houyhnhnms” (Naik). This work remains popular with adults and children alike who are drawn to the multiple ways it can be read: as an allegorical tale of fantastic creatures or as a deeper political commentary on the darker side of human nature.
